Fundraiser to help Candy’s Old Fashion Burgers namesake

As far as mom-and-pop restaurants go, they don’t get any more mom-and-pop than Candy’s Old Fashion Burgers, 115 S. Flores St., next to the Cadena Reeves Justice Center. The burgers alone are a reason to fall in love with the family-operated place. But, as most of its loyal customers will attest to, the little restaurant draws most of its charm from its namesake, Candy Vasquez.

“A lot of people that have come to know her, as customers at the restaurant, have really fallen in love with her personality,” said Mark Vasquez, Candy’s husband.

In early October, Candy, 28, was diagnosed with a pregnancy-related cancer called gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. The cancer was in stage three and Candy started chemotherapy immediately.

To help with couple’s medical expenses, the Vasquez’s and some of the restaurant’s loyal customers are holding a barbecue plate sale 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday, at the parking lot on the corner of South Flores and Nueva streets, near the restaurant. The chicken and sausage plates are served with rice, beans, pickles and onions, and go for $6.

“It was very easy (to sell tickets),” said Tommy Moreno, a city employee and Candy’s regular. “I simply sent out an e-mail and everybody responded. They are very loving and giving, and happy and willing to serve others. And now it’s our turn to give back to them.”

In late May, Mark, 32, and Candy sold their share of the restaurant to Mark’s parents so the couple could spend more time with their daughters — Katalina, 8, and Emily, 3. Mark is now a financial planner with New York Life, while Candy’s job as office manager at a dentist office is waiting for her when she’s ready to return. Despite their new careers, the couple frequently visits the restaurant to help out and catch up with long-time customers.

When she was working at the restaurant, Candy served as “floor general” — waiting tables, working the register and just overall tending to customers.

Opening the restaurant with his father Tony was a childhood dream of Mark’s. “I always said one day my father and I were going to open a restaurant together,” Mark said. So in November 2006, the Vasquez opened Candy’s.

If you’d like to purchase a plate ticket, call Tommy Moreno at (210) 421-0538. Or you can purchase them there.